Roger Federer from Nike to Uniqlo? "A Cruelty"
The fact that Roger Federer changed his outfitter a few years ago still annoys the former manager at Nike.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Feb 16, 2023, 09:20 am
Simon Graf, a long-time companion of the ATP tour and particularly close to Roger Federer as a Swiss, and the British journalist Simon Cambers have collaborated in their latest book "The Roger Federer Effect" (in German: "Inspiration Federer", published by Wortseh Verlag). Chat with the Maestro's companions to explore the impact the 20-time Major winner has had on the sport.
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Not only rivals had their say, but also people who had professional dealings with Federer off the court. Like Mike Nakajima, who managed tennis at Nike for almost 30 years. An excerpt from the book has now been published on cnn.com.
In it, Nakajima describes the genesis of the relationship between the North American sporting goods manufacturer and Roger Federer, which began when Federer was just 13 years old. "He was a climber, one of the top juniors," Nakajima recalls. “We signed him and I noticed straight away. how naturally charismatic he is and how well he expresses himself. And it struck me that he knew he was going to be great."
Nike pushed the rivalry between Federer and Nadal
The cooperation with Nike helped Federer enormously. "Roger would definitely have become famous on his own, too," Nakajima continued. “Even if he had played for a different brand. But Nike's marketing machine made it even bigger. The reach that Nike can get an athlete is incredible. Of course you have to be successful on the court, which Roger did. He's won a few US Opens. that was an eye opener for some people.”
Amazingly, Federer's biggest competitor, Rafael Nadal, has also chosen Nike as his kit supplier. “Roger and Rafa are very similar personalities. They are two of the nicest people one can meet. But on the court they were completely different. Roger plays like he's walking on clouds. Rafa is the opposite. Americans love rivalries. And we showed them.”
The shock was all the greater, also for Mike Nakajima, when the maestro left Nike after 24 years in 2018 to sign a ten-year contract worth 300 million dollars with Uniqlo. "That should never have happened. letting someone like him go is cruelty. Roger Federer belonged to Nike until the end of his career. Just like Michael Jordan. Like LeBron James, like Tiger Woods. He's on par with the greatest Nike athletes of all time. I'm still disappointed. But it happened. I have to deal with it.”